ALAS Foundation, CARULLA Foundation and the Government of Quintana Roo United for Early Childhood Development

Within five years there will be an Early Childhood Center (CIPIS) in each municipality, which will attend to 416 boys and girls from 0 to 6 years of age.

CANCUN, Quintana Roo, February 10, 2012 - Governor Roberto Borge Angulo accompanied by his wife Mrs. Mariana Zorrilla de Borge, Honorary President of the System for Integral Family Development (DIF) signed this morning with the ALAS Foundation and CARULLA Foundation a collaboration agreement for the installation of 10 Early Childhood Centers (CIPIS).

The agreement, which began with the launch of a strategic alliance between the Government of Quintana Roo and ALAS Foundation with the presence of Shakira Mebarak in July last year, establishes a framework for cooperation between ALAS, DIF and CARULLA in order to develop and implement a program for early childhood development in the state of Quintana Roo. The project's goal is that children from low-income communities can access comprehensive and quality early childhood services.  This way, the project will not only foster a solid foundation for girls and boys to reach their full potential and improve their life chances but also to achieve through education, the diminution of social inequalities in the state.

The project will build a CIPI for boys and girls from 0 to 6 years in each of the 10 municipalities in the state.  It is expected that the first of these centers will be in the municipalities of Benito Juarez and Othon P . Blanco.
The alliance between ALAS, Carulla and Quintana Roo, expects that within five years it will have built and equipped a CIPI in each municipality, which will have a capacity of 416 children each and will be installed in both urban and rural areas of the state.

DIF Quintana Roo will provide the necessary funds for construction, equipment and maintenance of the CIPIS, plots of land for the construction of the centers and coordination with other agencies to diagnose the situation of early childhood in Quintana Roo. The ALAS Foundation will work to promote early childhood development and will collaborate in international fundraising efforts to support program implementation. The CARULLA Foundation will provide consulting services for the implementation of best practices in the development and operation of the CIPIS.  These services will assist in improving and expanding infrastructure, methodology, and coverage of education services, health, and nutrition that are currently offered in urban and rural areas and will also help assure sustainability.

Alicia Marín and Juan Antonio Pungiluppi signed the agreement for ALAS and Nathalia Mesa signed for CARULLA Foundation. 

About The ALAS Foundation
ALAS was created to mobilize different sectors of Latin American society on the importance of care and attention in early childhood, as well as the implementation of public policies that allow universal access to health care, nutrition and education for children between 0 and 6 years and their families in conditions of vulnerability. Through the promotion of Early Childhood Development (ECD), The Foundation seeks to interrupt the intergenerational transmission of poverty for the most vulnerable families and children in the region.

About the CARULLA Foundation
CARULLA aims to provide comprehensive services in education, nutrition and quality care for infants in Colombia. Through AEIOTU centers, it provides educational preschool services, promotes education projects for children from 0 to 5 years, promotes and supports education in general as well as any education program that may have an impact on social and economic development of the country and on its population most in need.

The Government of Quintana Roo and ALAS Launch Early Childhood Program

CANCÚN, Quintana Roo, July 15.- Governor Roberto Borge Angulo met with Shakira and ALAS Foundation at the Child Development Center (CENDI) in the city of Cancun in order to consolidate the new strategic partnership between the Government of Quintana Roo and ALAS.  This partnership was established to promote Early Childhood Development programs for children from 0 to 6 years of age.

The objective of this meeting was to unveil the new project, which aims to provide children from the State of Quintana Roo with the early childhood education they need in order to achieve their full potential. With this initiative, the ultimate goal is not only to help the children of the State of Quintana Roo be better prepared for academic success, but also to contribute in reducing social inequality.

During the event, Governor Roberto Borge said the State "has achieved, through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, to consolidate a strategic alliance with ALAS Foundation". His goal, he said, is "to ensure that all municipalities have CIPIS to provide coverage to more than 6 thousand children and their families." He added that the CIPIS "are going to become models of education in the next six years and will allow us to serve more than six thousand children and grant them access to integral development. We are sure to be successful, as this system has been implemented in countries like Colombia and Argentina. "

Meanwhile, Shakira acknowledged the importance of the alliance between ALAS and the Government of Quintana Roo, saying she was very pleased to be working with the governor and his wife Mariana. She also praised the Governor’s commitment to placing early childhood development at the center of his public policies aimed at children in his State, stating that her hope is that these kinds of initiatives are replicated throughout Mexico and Latin America. She added "from ALAS we try to achieve alliances between the State and NGOs since we believe that these public-private partnerships are very successful and yield great results"

Finally, the Governor thanked the presence of Shakira and declared that, along with his wife, he will continue to give priority to child care and place special attention to increasing access to education, especially in poor indigenous communities.

Executive Summary of the CIPIS Program (in Spanish)